The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-05-14

down to some cellars or vaults. Sud.
denly the priest stopped and turned to
ward him.
This is the place. he said, placing
his hand on the wall; remove this
plaster, loosen the bricks, and you will
find behind them the recess OF which l
spoke. Mark the spot we'll andre
member your promise"
Following the pointing hand and APP
parent wish Of the spectre, the Bishop
closely examined the wall at the spot
indicated, and then turned to the priest
to ask another question:; but to his in
tense establishment ethere was no one
there-he was absolutely alone in the
dinlly-lighted passage! Perhaps he
ought to have been prepared for this
sudden disappearance, but it startled
him more than he cared to admit, even
to himself. He hurried up the stairs,
and presented himself, still BREATH ,g
with surprise, in the dining-room.
His prolonged absence had caused
some comment, and now his agitat, d
appearance excited general attention.
| Unable for the moment to speak CO.
herentIy, his only nswer to the earnest
questions OF his host was a sign which
referred him to the hostess for explaLa-
ton. With some hesitation she con-
fessed the errand upon which her re-
quest had dispatched the Bishop and,
as may easily be imagined, the intensest
interest and excitement were at once
created. AS soon as the Bish p had re-
covered his voice, he found himself
compelled to relate the story before the
entire party, concealment being now
out of the ques tion. Celebrated as was
his eloQuence, it is probable that no
speech he ever made was followed with
closer attention than this; and at its
conclusion there was no voice to op-
pose the demand that mason be at
once sent for to break down the wall
and search for the weird yet dramati-
caly circumst antial tale. After very
short delay the man arrived, and the
whole company trooped eagerly down
stairs. under the Bishops guidance, to
watch the result of his labors. The
Bishop could hardly repress a shudder
as ne found himself once more in the
passage where his ghostlY companion
had vanished 50 unceremoniously, but
ne Indicated the exact spot which had
been pointed out to him, and the mason
began to work upon it forthwith.
The plaster seems very hard and
6rm,' remarked some one.
Eyes. replied the host, ''it is of excel
lent quality and comparatively new;
these vaults had long been disused, /
am told, until my predecessor bad the
old lrickwork repaired and plastered
over o1ly few years ago"
BY this time the mason had succes led
in breaking away the plaster and loosen
ing a brick or two at the point indi-
Gated, and though perhaps no one was
actually surprised, yet there was a very
perceptible stir Of excitement among
the guests when he announced the ex-
istence Of {; cupboard or cavity about
two feet square and eighteen inches
deep in the thickness of the wall, The
host pressed forward to look in, but in
stantly recollecting himself, drew back
and made way FOR the Bishop, saying:
II was forgetting your promise for
the moment; to you alone belongs the
right Of the first Investigation here -
Pale, but collected, the Bishop stepped
up to the cavity, and after one glance
put in his hand and drew forth heavily
bound, <old-fashioned book, thickly COW
cred with dust or mould. A thrill ran
through the assembled guests at the
sight, but no words broke the silence of
awe, stricken expectation, while he
reverently opened the volume, and,
after turning over few leaves, drew
from betw cen the pages piece of writ
ing paper, yellow with age, on which
were some irregular, hastily written
lines. AS soon as the Bishop was GER
tain that be had found what he sought,
he averted his eyes fronL it, ard the 9th.
ers, falling back to make way for him,
bore it carefully up the stairs and into
the nearest room, and cast it reverently
into the fire burning on the hearth,
almost as though he were placing a sa-
cred offering upon some Gowastrian
altar. Until the last scrap of the mys-
teriously found document was reduced
to finder, no one spoke; and, even then,
though few disjointed EXPLANATIONS
as ''Marvelous! wonderful. indeed! who
could have believed i'll" broke forth,
the majority were far too deeply inn
pressed for words. The Bishop felt
that none who were present on that oc-
casion could ever forget its lessons-he
himself least of all. and, indeed he could
never tell the story, even after years
had passed, without the profoundest
emotion. The figure Of the priest, he
added, was never seen again in the
house where he had so long guarded bis
U11i|tv sacrpt